Dominique Strauss-Kahn free: Judge drops case

A judge dismissed the charges against him, agreeing with prosecutors who said they were no longer confident they could prove he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A last-ditch appeal by the maid’s attorney to keep the case alive — asking for a special prosecutor to take the case — was also denied by a separate judge yesterday afternoon.

“Our job is to seek justice, not convictions at any cost,” District Attorney Cy Vance said yesterday of his decision to drop the charges.

Attorneys for the former International Monetary Fund head maintained that a sexual encounter did indeed happen between the two, but it was consensual.

“This is the end of a terrible and unjust ordeal,” Strauss-Kahn reportedly said yesterday. “I’m eager to return to my country.”

After the hearing, Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, explained the distinction between criminality and perversion. “You can engage in inappropriate behavior, perhaps, but that is much different than a crime,” he said.

Kenneth Thompson, the maid’s lawyer, said, “We are disappointed that District Attorney Vance apparently does not believe in equal justice.”